NFL Star Muncie’s New Identity Gets Stolen
In a fascinating story reported by the Los Angeles Times, former NFL running back Chuck Muncie recently thwarted an attempt at a fraudulent loan made in his name.
The ID theft ironically marked how different Muncie’s life is today than when he himself was on the wrong side of the law, according to the Times. In fact, the three-time Pro Bowl choice even did jail time, going to prison in 1989 for selling cocaine.
All that has changed, said Muncie, who today mentors athletes and heads the Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation, which aims to keep southern California youth from making the bad decisions that can send them down the wrong path.
A Legend is Scammed
While Muncie was busy rebuilding his life and helping others out of difficulty and suffering, ironically, he became the victim of identity theft.
Muncie told the Times that he received a phone call from a bank, telling him his loan for $1 million had been approved. But it was news to Muncie, who had never applied for such a loan. Someone had taken his good name and attempted a million-dollar scam with it.
Moving On, Moving Up
It was a low blow to the football star, who had spent years rebuilding his reputation and reorganizing a life that had once been torn by drug use (not uncommon in sports during that time) and relationship problems. “I was spiraling downhill,” Muncie said. During his 1989 prison sentencing, he told the judge that he would work hard to get his life “back in order”.
In the ensuing years Muncie worked hard to not only live well but to give his time, knowledge, experience and abilities to the aid of those who may be stumbling into a life of drugs and crime. “Everything I did and everything I went through in my life has allowed me to do the things I‘m doing now,” Muncie has commented.
Smart Moves
As a partner in several businesses, Muncie said he felt lucky that no stolen money resulted from the theft of his identity. He also says he has learned from the past and that prison nearly 20 years ago may have been one of the best things that happened to him, as it caused him to rethink the way he was leading his life.
“If you don’t stop (abusing drugs),” Muncie warned, “you’re going to lose everything and end up dead, homeless or in prison for the rest of your life.”
Luckily for Maurice and the youths he mentors, that path was not for him.
